Wabash College Athletics

Robert E. Allen, native son of New Castle, Indiana, it was a scholarship from Perfect Circle Corporation which allowed you to attend Wabash in the fall of 1953. That modest scholarship, a strong family, and the education you received at Wabash has guided you ever since your days as a political science student. Indeed, you drew lessons from all of your experiences at Wabash.

As president of Phi Delta Theta and the Interfraternity Council you learned responsible leadership. Participation in football and basketball taught you the benefits of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. As a member of Blue Key and the Sphinx Club you were recognized for your ability to balance academic priorities and leadership responsibilities. And as a married undergraduate, you knew that your family—especially your wife Betty—was of utmost importance.

Throughout your long and distinguished career, you continued to show thoughtful leadership, and carefully guided AT&T through the break-up of the Baby Bells and the creation of Lucent Technologies. And even when the winds of corporate change were blowing fiercely, you always found time for Wabash as a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees. You have often told the story of the time you stepped into a hole in the football field that you were charged to patch, which cost your team an opportunity to upset top-ranked Heidelberg. So when you were asked to lead the effort in funding Wabash’s massive renovation and construction of its athletic facility, you stepped up; indeed, you patched the hole in a way that no other Wabash man could have done.

For so admirably modeling for thousands of Wabash men the school’s mission; being an active leader at Wabash over five decades; and for providing athletic and recreation facilities that will benefit future generations on this campus, the National Association of Wabash Men is proud to induct you, Robert E. Allen, into the Wabash College Athletic Hall of Fame.